Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus equipped with a secure print function, a method of controlling the same, and a storage medium.
Description of the Related Art
There has been generally known a system in which print data transmitted from an external apparatus, such as a PC (personal computer), is reserved in an image forming apparatus, and the reserved print data is printed according to a user's operation performed on a operation panel of the image forming apparatus. This printing is generally referred to as the reservation printing.
In this reservation printing, reserved print data can be printed when the user enters a password or performs user authentication on an operation screen of the image forming apparatus.
This reservation printing is particularly effective in delivering a printout which the user does not want others to view, when the image forming apparatus is a shared printer connected to a network.
As an example of the conventional technique related to reservation printing, there has been proposed a method in which a print job to which a password is added is transmitted from a PC to an image forming apparatus, and printing is executed when the same password as that added to the print job is input from the operation panel of the image forming apparatus (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-76028).
Although printing using the method of reservation printing is sometimes referred to as secure printing, confidential printing, private printing, authentication printing, and so on, in the present invention, it is expressed as a secure print job.
Specifically, the secure print job is, as a general rule, a job executed such that printing is started when a correct password is inputted by a user from a console section of the image forming apparatus, and security of the print job is ensured by placing password-based restrictions on printing. In this case, however, password-based restrictions on printing cannot be placed on a normal print job which is not a secure print job.
Further, as another method of ensuring security of a print job, there has been proposed a method of controlling access to a print job, by managing print jobs in association with user information of users who are managed by the image forming apparatus.
In this method, before transmitting a print job from an external apparatus, the user adds a user name to the print job. Then, user authentication is performed by the user inputting the user name and a password to the image forming apparatus or by the user holding an IC card over a card reader of the image forming apparatus.
Then, the image forming apparatus extracts, from all print jobs, those having a user name added thereto which matches the user name authenticated by the image forming apparatus, and allows the user to perform only operations for the extracted print jobs.
According to this method, it is possible to prevent one's print job, including not only a secure print job, but also a normal print job, from being unauthorizedly handled by others, and hence it is possible to ensure security of all print jobs.
Further, some of the image forming apparatuses that perform user authentication are equipped with a function of also authenticating users who are not managed by the image forming apparatus, as guest users. This function is provided for users who want to temporarily use the image forming apparatus.
This function makes it possible to temporarily allow, for example, in a case where the image forming apparatus is equipped with a plurality of functions, such as a copy function, a scan function, and a print function, a person as a visitor from the outside to use the copy function so as to copy a document as a guest user.
In the case where a user is authenticated as a guest user, the image forming apparatus cannot identify the user, and hence restricts handling of a print job from the viewpoint of prevention of information leakage. That is, in general, the image forming apparatus does not allow a guest user to handle a print job.
Particularly in controlling access to a print job according to authentication of a user by the image forming apparatus, the above-described conventional technique has the following problem:
Among image forming apparatuses that provide a plurality of functions, such as a copy function, a scan function, and a print function, there is one which is equipped with a function of switching whether or not to require user authentication, on a function-by-function basis.
Examples of the above-mentioned function include a function-based authentication function which configures the plurality of functions, for example, in such a manner that the copy function is allowed to be used without user authentication whereas the scan function essentially requires user authentication.
The function-based authentication function is provided for the purpose of saving a user normally managed by the image forming apparatus from the time and effort of performing an authentication operation, when the user uses a function of the image forming apparatus, which is determined, from the viewpoint of management, not to essentially require user authentication. That is, the function-based authentication function is different in purpose from the case where the above-mentioned guest user uses the image forming apparatus.
Although the purpose is different, also in a case where user authentication is not performed in using the function-based authentication function, the image forming apparatus cannot identify a user, similarly to the above-mentioned case of the guest user.
On the other hand, from the viewpoint of security, a print job requires execution of access control on a user-by-user basis, and hence requires identification of a user.
Therefore, it is required to make user authentication essential to a print job handling function, and this makes it impossible to save the user from having to perform an authentication operation.